The Day After Never - Blood Honor (Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller) (10 page)

Carl set the pace as they negotiated the dusty street. “You mentioned that the men who attacked the woman’s party were scavengers?” he began.

“Raiders. They had Mohawks,” Lucas corrected.

“Right. Kind of off their turf, weren’t they?”

“Probably slim pickings in their area. They must be running out of people to rob.”

“That’s what it looked like to you?”

Lucas threw him a look. “What else would it be?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t there.”

“Neither was I. I just brought the girl to the doc.”

“Lot of chatter on the radio today about the attack on Duke’s,” Carl said, changing the subject.

“It was bad,” Lucas said, his words clipped.

“They Raiders too?”

“Didn’t get a close look at many of them, but the ones that I saw didn’t have Mohawks.”

“So you don’t think they’re related?”

Lucas frowned. “Why would they be?”

They turned onto the doctor’s street. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to put things together, Lucas. Figure out whether we’re looking at the start of something that could endanger us.”

Lucas shrugged. “You need to get out more. There’s a lot of ugly on the other side of the wall.”

“You said it looked like they tortured Clem?”

Lucas nodded. “He was messed up.”

“Why?”

They were interrupted by the sound of a woman screaming from inside the doctor’s house. Lucas and the sheriff exchanged a glance and then ran for the front door. The doctor appeared at the threshold, his expression troubled, but brightened when he saw the pair of them.

“What is it, Doc?” Carl asked, huffing slightly.

“She’s awake, but she’s not making a lot of sense,” the doctor said.

Another cry sounded from inside, and the doctor stepped aside. “Might as well see if you can calm her down. I couldn’t.”

Lucas drew a deep breath and followed the sheriff into the gloomy interior. A cat shot across the floor like black lightning and scurried out the window at the sight of their boots, the space suddenly too crowded for its liking. The house was furnished simply, the only exception an upright piano occupying a place of honor in the living room. Carl approached the examination room, beckoned to Lucas, and then entered.

When Lucas followed the sheriff in, the woman was sitting up, the back of the exam table raised to support her, and her eyes were wide, as though terrified. She looked from Carl to Lucas and then back to Carl, stopping at the badge pinned to his shirt.

Carl shifted from foot to foot. “Ma’am, my name’s Carl Green; I’m the sheriff. You’re safe, but you’ve been hurt. Wounded, so please take it easy. You were shot in the leg and shoulder.” He paused, giving his words time to register. The woman looked at him uncomprehendingly. After a moment he continued, gesturing at Lucas. “This man rescued you. He brought you here. His name’s Lucas Shaw.”

Lucas nodded to her. Her blue eyes shifted to his, holding his stare without blinking. When she spoke, her voice was thick, and she had to clear it and try again after an unintelligible start.

“You…you saved me?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She closed her eyes. “Water…”

The doctor nodded and returned momentarily with a one-liter plastic bottle. He handed it to Lucas, who walked to the woman’s side and held it out to her. She sensed his presence and opened her eyes, and then took the bottle and drank, gulping without pausing for breath.

“Easy there. It’s not a race,” the doctor cautioned.

She drained the bottle and handed it back to Lucas. “Where am I?”

Carl answered. “Loving, New Mexico. Little ways north of the Texas border.”

“How far from where we were attacked?” she asked in alarm.

“Maybe…twenty-five miles as the crow flies,” Lucas said.

“Oh no…” She looked into Lucas’s eyes. “What about the others?”

He shook his head and looked away. “They didn’t make it.”

“None of them?”

“I’m sorry.”

She didn’t seem to hear them, her eyes wild again. “I’ve got to get out of here.”

“You’re not going anywhere for a while,” the doctor said. “You just about died. It’s a miracle you didn’t.”

She shook her head and clutched at the sheet the doctor had draped over her. “No. You don’t understand.”

Carl threw a look over his shoulder at the doctor, now out of his depth. Lucas stayed by her side, and when he spoke, his voice was soft. Calm.

“What is it?”

“She’s still there. I told her to hide, to wait till I came back.” The woman closed her eyes. “How long since you found me?”

Lucas calculated quickly. “Two days.” He waited until she opened her eyes again and then inclined forward. “Who’s still there? I didn’t see anyone.”

“Because she’s hiding.” The woman swallowed hard and seemed to deflate. She struggled for breath and winced, and then shook her head. “I left her with a canteen and some dried venison. But she’ll be out of water by now. She’s got to be terrified. Alone…she’s only five.”

“Who?” Carl whispered.

When the woman spoke, her voice contained all the misery of the world. “Eve.” She hesitated and turned toward the wall. “My niece.”

Chapter 12

Carl moved closer to the prone woman. “Let’s start at the beginning. What’s your name?”

“Sierra. Sierra McKinley.”

“Where are you from?”

“Originally? Chicago. But we moved to Dallas when I was fourteen.”

“What were you doing in the foothills?”

Sierra sighed. “Traveling.”

“From where to where?”

“What does it matter? Isn’t everywhere pretty much the same these days?”

That stopped Carl. Lucas stepped into the awkward breach. “Why don’t you tell us what happened in your own words? Take your time.”

“Didn’t you hear me? My niece is still out there.”

Lucas nodded. “We heard you. Tell us what happened.”

Sierra pursed her lips and seemed to think for a beat. “We were making our way from Dallas. Eve, myself, and four men who were our guards. It was late afternoon, and we had stayed off the roads, which we thought would be enough, but it wasn’t. Somehow we attracted the wrong kind of attention. One of the guards spotted dust approaching and had me find a cave to hide Eve.” She blinked away a tear. “They were on us so fast. It was blinding. One minute we were alone, and the next we were under attack. It…it didn’t last long. They were unorganized, but there were more of them, and we were caught in the open.”

“Did you get them all?” Lucas asked.

“I think so. It all…it gets foggy after I was hit.”

“That’s not unexpected,” the doctor said.

Lucas nodded again. “Why did you have guards?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Not guards like I was a prisoner. Guards to keep us safe.”

Lucas’s expression remained neutral. “Who were they, and how did you find them?”

Sierra seemed to tune out. Lucas waited until she was back with them. “Does it matter?” she asked.

“To me it does.”

She nodded. “Fine. They helped us escape from a hellhole near Dallas. Eve and me.”

“Escape?” Carl demanded.

“That’s right.”

“Escape from what?” Lucas asked.

“We were being held by…have you ever heard of the Crew?”

Lucas nodded. “Prison gang.”

“They pretty much run Houston – most of Texas, now, actually, by the sound of it,” the doctor said. “I hear reports on the radio every so often. Really crazy stuff.”

Sierra grimaced. “You have no idea. But I’m surprised you heard anything. They make it clear that you’re under their control. If you broadcast anything about them, they hunt you down and kill you. End of story. They’re brutal.”

“Why were they holding you?” Carl asked.

“Because they wanted to. They do whatever they feel like. I caught their eye.” She didn’t have to finish the thought. Stories of atrocities were legion. The Mexican cartels had come over the border in places like El Paso and, between them and their gang affiliates in the city, had turned the cities into death camps. The same scenario had played out in many areas, and no place had gone unscathed. Houston had a particularly dark reputation since the collapse.

“What’s Dallas like now?” Carl asked, and Lucas gave him a sidelong glance.

Sierra’s gloom deepened. “It’s a nightmare. There’s power, but only for them. They set up some kind of steam turbine, and they’ve been systematically tearing down anything that they can burn to fuel it. The survivors are mostly used as slave labor to demolish houses so they can keep the turbine going round the clock. There’s a constant cloud of polluted smoke hanging over what’s left of the city – which is a ghost town. I mean, you can’t imagine how bad it got after the grid went down. Dead bodies everywhere. Disease, no water, gangs, killings on every block. When the Crew showed up, they introduced a kind of order, but it quickly degraded into slavery and mass murder of anyone who opposed them. And there were plenty, at least at first. But a few isolated people with a stash of guns and food, trying to survive the best they can, are no match for a prison gang made up of former military, hit men, gang enforcers, all armed to the teeth with the latest weaponry…”

“Why didn’t you leave?” Carl asked.

“And go where? To what? I had my clothes, but nothing else. I don’t know how it was here, but in Dallas, food ran out after a week. I stretched what I had for another week, used up my bleach purifying water, but what was I supposed to do? By the time I realized things were never going to return to normal, it was too late. So I just holed up.” She looked away again. “I did what I had to do to survive.”

“You say that the Crew has the latest weaponry. How?”

“Rumor was they overran an army depot. So they’ve got anything you can imagine and then some. I’ve seen AT-4s used on resisters. Trust me, it’s not pretty watching an entire family blown to pieces for refusing to do their bidding.”

Lucas cut in. “What’s the story on your tattoo?”

“The eye? That’s how they brand their property. It’s to send the message that they see everything and will find you if you defy them.”

Carl cut in. “So these guys that helped you escape. Who were they?”

“Good Samaritans.”

Lucas’s tone hardened. “Pretty well armed for Samaritans. And why guard you? From what?”

“From the world. From the Crew if they came after us.”

Lucas wasn’t satisfied with the answer. “But why? What was their motivation?”

“I…look, my niece is shivering in a cave out in the middle of nowhere. Can we put aside all the questions about the dead and talk about that? You have to go get her. Please. She’s all alone, and she’s running out of time.”

Carl looked to Lucas. “You think you could find the spot again?”

“I’ll draw you a map. I’m not ready to do that ride again. I haven’t slept more than a handful of hours in the last couple of days, and my horse is more exhausted than I am. Sorry. It would be suicide to press it.”

Sierra shook her head. “You have to go.”

Lucas returned her stare. “I saved your life because I was there. I’m not there anymore. Carl here wants to play hero, that’s fine, but leave me out of it. Desert’s filled with dead heroes.”

“She’s only five.”

“She’s a long ways away, across dangerous terrain where I’ve been in all-out gun battles over the last twenty-four hours.” Lucas’s tone softened. “Look. I understand you care about your niece, and I feel bad for you, but I did my part. I’m not going to risk my life for anybody.”

Sierra looked at him oddly. “Sounds like you did for me. For which, thank you.”

Lucas waved her off. “Like I said, I was there. If I’d known what I was getting into, maybe I wouldn’t have.”

For the first time, a trace of a smile flittered across Sierra’s face before it grew serious. “Somehow I doubt that.”

“Think whatever you want.” Lucas turned to Carl. “You going looking for her?”

“I kind of have to, Lucas.”

“No, you don’t. Town chose you to protect it, not to go off on suicide runs.”

“I’ll put it to a vote, but I suspect I know how it’ll turn out. A defenseless child abandoned in a cave…” Carl shook his head and eyed Lucas grimly. “Takes a hard man to turn his back on that.”

“Or a man who’s used up his nine lives and is out of gas.” Lucas stepped away from the bed. “Carl, I’ll draw you a map. Shouldn’t be impossible to find the spot. I’ll wish you all the luck in the world, but there’s no way in hell I’m riding on the trail all night with no sleep. That’s tempting fate, and I don’t feel lucky.”

Carl’s expression hardened. “Suit yourself. A map would be much appreciated.”

“Doc, you think you can rustle up a pencil and paper?” Lucas asked. He tried a final time with Sierra. “I’m deeply sorry about your niece, and if anyone can get her back, it’s the sheriff here.”

Sierra didn’t respond, just gave him a look of pained disgust.

Lucas followed the doctor into the living room and sat at the dining table while he rummaged around for a pencil and paper. The doctor returned with a stub and a notepad. “If it’s any consolation, Lucas, I completely agree with you about not going. You’re in no kind of shape to do anything but harm to yourself.”

Lucas busied himself with a sketch of the landmarks he used for orientation. When he was done, he pushed his chair back. Carl emerged from Sierra’s room at the sound.

“What do you make of her story?” Carl asked quietly.

“Part of it doesn’t add up, but I’m so tired I can barely think.”

“And the kid?”

“If you want to wait till morning, I was planning to ride down that way anyway. But I need sleep, Carl. I’m running on fumes. I’d just slow you down.”

“No problem. Alan and I will go. Got the map?”

Lucas handed it to him. “Night riding’s a good way to get yourself killed before you can help anyone, you know. I’ve done enough to know better.”

“We’ll be heavily armed. Plate carriers. Whole nine yards.”

“NV gear?” Lucas asked.

Carl looked uncertain. “You mean night vision? I wish.”

“That makes you hamburger for anyone that has it.”

Carl eyed Lucas’s M4. “You’re the only one I’ve ever seen in these parts with one.”