In them there was a promise. A threat. A beginning that hadn’t seen the end yet. I realized that I wasn’t safe in this new world. Not from hunger or thirst. Not from fear or terror.
I wasn’t safe from anything, including men like him.
Chapter Twenty–Eight
Cat
The rain was coming down in buckets by the time we turned the corner of the street. I was soaked and the inside of my tennis shoes squished with each step I took.
We headed toward the state capital. Nathan said he overheard there was a triage center set up there.
The crowd was thicker near the capitol grounds despite the storm that had rolled in. A few weeks ago I would have balked at walking around in the rain with no makeup on, but here I was, soaking wet and welcoming the rain on my face. It felt good against my skin, erasing the dirt and grime of the last few days. But the rain was forgotten when I saw what was up ahead.
Big, white tents had been set up in front of the capitol building. Hordes of people pushed and shoved, seeking whatever was offered underneath the enclosures.
“It’s the local Red Cross,” Nathan explained, answering my unspoken question. “We heard they’re giving away food and water.”
“I hope they’ve got something left,” Tate said, walking beside me. “I’m starving. I think I can even count my ribs, I’m so skinny now.”
He was right. In just a couple of weeks, we had all lost weight. Weight that we couldn’t afford to lose.
As we got closer to the crowd and capitol, the louder it became. Nathan held Keely’s hand and I grabbed Tate’s arm. No way would I get separated again or let anyone out of my sight.
Men and women fought to get under the tents. Everyone was starving and needed food and water. We were just four of hundreds, hungry and desperate.
“Get back! Get back! We’ll get to you eventually!” a woman yelled up ahead as the mob of people pushed and shoved.
I stood on my tiptoes, trying to see over the man in front of me. I caught a glimpse of the woman. She was wearing a white doctor’s coat.
“This line is for emergencies only. I repeat, emergencies only. If you need food or water, go to the left,” she shouted, cupping a hand around her mouth.
Nathan led us to the left, making sure we all stayed together. People pushed. People shoved. There was crying and tearful hugs. I watched it all, feeling surreal.
This can’t be happening. This is America.
We found the food tent and joined the frantic crowd. Hundreds of people, most soaked from the rain, waited to get underneath.
By the time we reached the very edge of the tent, the rain stopped and the sun came out. It became blazing hot once again. I felt my hair drying and my scalp burning. My skin turned red quickly, blistering under the sun. I also felt hunger gnaw at me, knowing we were close to something to eat.
When we finally got underneath the tent, we discovered it was a hellhole. I grabbed a handful of Nathan’s shirt and tightened my hand around Tate’s arm as we joined the mob of people pressing forward. We needed water and food desperately. I had looked death in the eye once when Luke and Jenna were killed; I didn’t want to face it again because of starvation.
It seemed to take hours to get to the front. Pushing and shoving threatened to make me fall. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to get back up. I knew that. I would be trampled to death in the race to get supplies. Just one less mouth to feed.
We were able to get close enough to see plastic tables and the first aid workers who stood behind them. A few men in uniforms stood nearby. They were armed with scary looking guns and stern expressions. The American flag on their sleeves confirmed what I already knew. They were U.S. soldiers. But they were protecting nothing but empty crates of food.
“We’re out of food and water, people. Out of food and water,” a worker shouted. Her short gray hair was slicked back and her long fingers waved at everyone to calm down when they started yelling.
“What the hell? We’re starving here!” a man in the crowd shouted with anger.
“My kids are starving!” another man bellowed.
Everyone joined in, shouting and yelling. The aid worker held up her hand, stopping everyone. “We’ll get more shipments soon and—”
“Liar!” a man to my left shouted. “There’s no more shipments coming! That’s just a bunch of BS the government wants us to believe to keep us calm!”
The aid worker glanced nervously at one of the military soldiers. I saw the truth in her eyes. The man was right. There were no more supplies coming. We were all going to starve.
“Tell us the truth, lady! Ain’t nothing coming for us!” someone shouted. “We’ve got a right to know!”
The woman held up her hand again and opened her mouth to argue, but a man in uniform stepped forward. He was gray-haired, older, and distinguished looking. He emanated the authority of a high-ranking official. The metals on his chest proved it.
He was flanked by two soldiers that I suddenly noticed.
Oh hell.
The blood drained from my face. I recognized one of them. He was the guy from the party. The one from the bathroom. He’s a soldier? What the hell was he doing at a frat party?
I didn’t have time to wonder any more. The crowd quieted down as the officer in charge cleared his throat and began to speak.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, addressing the people with respect. “We need to be civil. Supplies are coming. Help is on the way.”
“Bullshit!” someone shouted.
The officer continued as if he hadn’t heard. “In the meantime, share what you have with your neighbor. Take care of your fellow man. Follow the directions of military personnel and government officials. We’re all in this together, people. Let’s help each other. Thank you.”
The crowd started talking and shouting as he turned and began to walk away. One woman yelled louder than the rest.
“Are we going to die?”
The officer stopped and turned around. Soldier boy stood at attention on his right, not moving a muscle as his superior faced the crowd.
The woman who had spoken up looked rail thin. Her hair was mousy brown and fell around her shoulders in limp strands. Her skin was leathery and her cheeks were hollow. She appeared weak but in her eyes was resiliency.
“I heard whoever did this is on our soil,” she said. “That they are butchering any Americans they find. Now, I’ve got children, mister. I need to know. Are we safe here?”
The officer stared at the woman without emotion, without feeling. His back was rigid and his uniform crisp and clean. “You are perfectly safe here, ma’am. The government has everything under control. Thank you,” he said.
Soldier boy from the party didn’t move a muscle. I saw his Adam’s apple go up and down but his eyes stayed focused ahead.
He knows something.
The crowd broke into chaos as the officer walked away. He disappeared somewhere behind the tent but I saw him a second later head up the hill toward the capitol building.
People spontaneously started pushing and shoving to leave. I didn’t. I headed for soldier boy instead.
“What are you doing, Cat? Come on!” Nathan said, reaching for me when I went past him.
“Hold on.” I keep my eyes on the soldier. He had answers and I had some questions.
Nathan, Tate, and Keely followed me, fighting the crowd going in the opposite direction. The ground was soggy and my shoes sunk into the mud but I didn’t let it slow me down.
“Hey you!” I yelled at the soldier when I got close enough. “Party boy.”
He turned his head and looked at me. His eyes got round when he saw me rushing toward him.
“Remember me?” I asked, pushing past the last few people that separated us.
“You know him?” Tate whispered beside me.
“Hush, Tate. Let her do her thing,” Nathan muttered, him and Keely stopping on the other side of me.
I had no idea what my thing was but
I was dirty and hungry. I would do what I had to do in order to get what I wanted.
Soldier boy looked at me with a cool expression. “Yes, ma’am. I remember you.”
I cocked my head to the side, giving him my best smile. “So now it’s ma’am. That’s not what you called me the other night.”
Tate and Keely shot me a look but I ignored them. I was trying to save our butts here.
Soldier boy blushed. “Sorry about that, ma’am. Too many Coors Lights.”
I shrugged. “No biggie. I was drunk too.”
I paid little attention to anyone else as I moved toward him. I had just been manhandled by Paul and Hightower. I had fought against them and listened as they talked trash and threatened me. The last thing I wanted to do was flirt with someone but I needed to do it. For my brothers. For Cash’s sister. For me.
Soldier boy shifted and readjusted the gun hanging on his shoulder, staring straight ahead. “Ma’am, you need to move back.”
I didn’t. I ignored the other soldiers standing nearby and took a step closer. “I didn’t know you were military.”
Soldier boy stared over my shoulder. “National Guard, ma’am.”
“Hmm.” I looked him up and down. Time to go in for the kill. “I like men in uniform.”
He blinked and the flush on his face deepened.
I took a step closer and lowered my voice. “Can you tell me what’s going on, soldier. Please?”
He didn’t say anything, but his eyes did glance at Nathan, Tate, and Keely behind me.
I tried again. “Is there another shipment of food coming?”
He finally looked down at me. “Ma’am, I can’t answer that.” But when his Adam’s apple bounced up and down, I knew there was something he wasn’t telling.
I was going to reach out and touch him, maybe run my fingers up his arm, but a deep voice shouted commands nearby. The soldiers next to him jumped to attention and took off jogging in a straight line formation.
Soldier boy started to follow. Hopelessness washed over me as I watched him leave. I needed his help. I didn’t know what else to do.
I was in luck. At the last second he stopped and turned back around. He quickly took three wide steps and stopped right in front of me.
“I could get in a lot of trouble for this but…get out of town,” he said in a hushed voice so no one could hear. “Now, while you can.”
I opened my mouth then clamped it shut. Panic set in when he turned to leave. I needed more information.
I reached out and grabbed a handful of his camouflage sleeve. “Why?”
He looked around to make sure no one was listening then glanced back at me. “Because the people who did this are on the march and Austin is in their path. The last place anyone should be right now is stuck in a big city when they get here.”
He turned to leave again, but I held onto his shirt tighter, refusing to let go just yet. “But we need food. Water. Supplies.”
He glanced at me and shook his head. “There are no supplies coming. Only hell and war.”
Chapter Twenty–Nine
Cash
It took me two weeks to reach town. Along the way I learned something about myself - I had a dark side. I did things during that time that I wasn’t proud of. Things that would haunt me. But it was either do or die.
And I wasn’t dying anytime soon.
The world had turned into damn purgatory. Hell on earth and all that shit. It changed me. Made me into a man that was tougher. Deadlier. Much more of a threat. I didn’t give a damn what was right or wrong.
I just did what I had to do to survive.
It was late afternoon when I left my horse tied up outside of town and walked in, not knowing what I was about to face but hoping to find my family.
Hundred degree temperatures made the ground dry and dusty. The rainstorm that had soaked my clothes a few days ago was a thing of the past. Dust swirled around my boots, adding layers and layers of grime on my already dirty clothes.
I licked my dry, chapped lips, wishing I had a drink of water. The thirst was a bad craving I couldn’t fulfill. It ravaged every part of my body, eating away at my insides and taking all that I had left to give.
I squinted up at the bright ball of fire in the sky then took stock of my surroundings. I was on the outskirts of town. It had taken me longer than I would have liked to get there. I had to stop a few times to restock my supplies. I had never stolen a thing in my life but I quickly became an expert at it. It was either steal or die of starvation. There was no other choice in a world gone mad. I had learned that fast.
The first time I stole was when I raided a little convenience store on the way to town. I wasn’t proud of taking what wasn’t mine but I only took what I needed. If things got back to normal, maybe I would repay the owner for the food. Until then I was determined to eat and drink at any cost. Even if I damned my own soul to hell.
I pushed back a tree branch and was careful not to step on any dead twigs as I continued toward town. I didn’t want to announce my arrival if I could help it. The world had become a fucked up place. I had seen it with my own eyes.
But I had yet to see the worst of it.
I kept my eyes and ears open for any activity. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was armed and ready. My pistol was tucked in my jeans and my shotgun was in my hand. I might get arrested for walking through town armed with a small arsenal but no way would I go in blind and empty-handed.
A breeze cooled me briefly as I emerged from the woods surrounding the town. A little five and dime store sat empty on my left. On my right was a deserted children’s store, the interior dark despite the blinding sunlight.
I started down the middle of the road, knowing I would meet no cars. The town boasted 4,000 people. So where were they now? The street was empty. The place was quiet. The only thing that moved were the pieces of trash that blew around like they were the only inhabitants left.
I pulled my hat brim lower, protecting my eyes from the sun so I didn’t have to squint. I needed to be alert and ready. Nothing hindering me.
The shotgun felt at home in my hand. I held it steady at my side. In seconds I could have it up and aimed, ready for action.
I continued down Main Street. The wind picked up, bringing with it the smell of burning wood. I was halfway down the road when I heard it. Screams and gunshots.
I ducked and ran behind a nearby building. I had no idea where the shots had come from, but I wasn’t going to stand in the middle of the road like a damn target.
I plastered myself up against the brick wall, using it to shield me from anything coming my way. I was between two buildings. Still a distance from the gunshots but close enough that I knew I needed to be careful.
A loud noise broke through the sounds of screams. I held my breath and forced myself to calm down, listening. There were more screams. More pops of gunfire. But then a different sound emerged…one that sounded like a vehicle. What the fuck? I hadn’t heard an engine in weeks.
I edged toward the corner of the building, careful not to make any noise. I was conscious of every breath I took and every move I made. The muzzle of my shotgun stayed pointed down as I peered around the corner. What I saw froze my blood.
A large military vehicle was rumbling down the road but it wasn’t one of ours. I knew because the men walking alongside it wore foreign military uniforms and shouted commands in a different language.
I threw myself against the wall again, breathing hard. What the fuck is going on?
I had glimpsed guns in the soldiers’ hands, pointing at the buildings they passed. They were on the hunt and I was going to be in their line of fire fast.
I needed to disappear. Before I could move, I heard shrill screams. It raised the hair on the back of my neck.
I peeked around the corner just in time to see a woman and man run into the street. They were waving their hands above their heads in a sign of surrender.
Three of the soldiers broke formation. The
y lifted their guns to their shoulders and with three pops, they opened fire on the couple. The man and woman fell to the pavement like rag dolls.
“Shit! Shit!” I whispered, flinging myself back against the building. I was breathing hard. Cold sweat popped up along my skin. I had just watched two people get mowed down like they were nothing.
My stomach rolled but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. The sound of the rumbling vehicle was getting closer. I flexed my fingers around my shotgun and tightened my hold on it, fury growing in me. I had to disappear before the soldiers saw me.
I took a deep breath and counted to three. It was time.
I darted around the corner of the building, keeping my back against the wall. I narrowly missed being seen by the soldiers when they passed the building. I wasn’t going to sit around and wait to find out where they were going.
I had to find my mom and dad.
I stayed low to the ground and ran to the next building. More trash floated around my boots thanks to an overturned garbage truck across the street. I didn’t pause to wonder what the hell happened to it; I just kept running.
I followed the sounds of screams and cries. I knew what I had to do. These soldiers were killing people. I had two guns and one thing on my mind.
I would fight.
The screams grew louder the closer I got to the town square. I ran toward it, not away. I would bring the fucking battle to the bastards if I had to. Anything to find my parents and get them out.
I stayed low to the ground and dashed between buildings. That’s when I saw it. Soldiers were walking down the street, shooting everyone in their path. Men, women, children, it didn’t matter. They shot them.
I slid to the ground between two closely set buildings, gravel skinning my hands and biting into my jeans.
“Shit,” I whispered, running a shaky hand over my dust-coated face. Sure, I had done some terrible things the last couple of weeks in the name of surviving, but watching people gunned down wasn’t one of them.
It took me a few minutes to recover but by the time I did, the rage had built in me to a dangerous level. I used the shotgun to push myself to my feet. My bad leg was throbbing like it did from time to time, but I had more important things to worry about.