The Wild Ones (Book 2) Read online

  Movement in the tree line and Jamal and Ryland burst out strafing across with their weapons raised towards the mouth of the camp. They sprinted, gasping for breath as they arrived and took cover behind the trucks. No one greeted them with a pat on the back. The atmosphere was somber. As I walked around the passenger side, Diane was quick to tend to Jamal’s ear.

  “Nick.” I gestured away from the truck. “A word.”

  He nodded and hopped out, his eyes still fixed on the compound.

  “Yeah?”

  “You know we’re going to have to deal with Tom before…”

  He looked over and then the reality sank in. He gave a sour face. “I’ll do it.”

  I grabbed him by the elbow. “It’s not a case of who will do it, it’s whether Tobias will let anyone near him.”

  Unfortunately that’s what we were dealing with now. The fact was any of us could lose our life and we hadn’t had that discussion. You know… who would be the one to put us out of our misery? Hell, we were still coming to terms with the outbreak.

  “Leave it with me,” Nick said. He strolled back to the truck and hopped up into the back. I watched intently as he crouched down beside Tobias and placed a hand on his arm. He was talking to him in a low voice so I couldn’t make out what he was saying. All I know is that when Tobias let out a cry, Nick put up both hands and slowly backed out.

  Ryland came over and nudged me with a frown on his face. “What happened?”

  “What happened? That’s what I was going to ask you. What part of don’t shoot didn’t you guys understand?”

  He screwed up his face. “We didn’t take the shot. That asshole Stanton did. What did you expect us to do? Lie there and take it? Anyone fires at me they better be ready to die,” he said before walking away scuffing his boots across the mud. I couldn’t blame them as they only meant well. The choice to circle around was to avoid bloodshed, a means of getting in and out while we kept them talking. I turned my eyes back to the truck and watched as Tobias pulled a hunting knife from a sheath and placed the tip against his dead father’s temple. His hand was trembling. He looked at me for a second, then punctured his skull. He squeezed his eyes shut, then retracted the bloody knife and wiped it on his father’s jacket. He reached over and snatched up an AR-15 and hopped off the back and burst into a run, heading for the camp.

  “Tobias!”

  Good Cop

  He was going to get himself killed. I tackled him to the ground after chasing him for about twenty yards. Slamming into the dirt, he struggled to get me off, but that’s where my years of practice in jujitsu came in handy. I latched on to him and twisted over, keeping one arm wrapped around his neck. I could have choked him out if need be but it wasn’t required. Daniels caught up and pried the AR-15 from his grasp.

  “You’re not thinking clearly.”

  “They killed my father.”

  “And we will get them but running in there is not the answer.”

  “Get off.”

  He struggled within my grasp. “Not until you stop.”

  He continued for a minute or two and then let out a heavy sigh. I slowly released him and he rose to his feet brushing off the dirt. I looked up while Daniels directed him back to the truck. The others looked on unsure of what to say or do. Still on the ground I rolled out and swung my rifle around so I could take a look at the compound through the scope. I adjusted the zoom. In the morning light it was easy to see. The heat of the day was already beginning to set in, creating waves. The temperature would soar into the high eighties. It was going to be another hot one. I rubbed my eyes clearing them of sleep dust.

  There you are. A head peered over the ledge on top of the building. I adjusted my rifle and then noticed they were looking back at us through binoculars. Two of them. Was that Sean and Rob or their men? Who were the others? And what had happened to the campers? There had been four groups of six, one went with Tom and Nick, then there was us, which meant twelve had stayed behind. Had they fled? Been killed? Or had Sean conned them into fighting alongside him? If he had I didn’t see them when we rolled up.

  I could hear talking behind me but I was focused in on the potential threats. My pulse raced as I saw two, then three more shapes fanning out. Nick dropped down beside me with a pair of binoculars. “What do you see?”

  “Two on the building. One on the east side, another two men off to the right.”

  “Where?”

  I pointed them out and he peered through the binoculars.

  “Any sign of Brooke?” he asked.

  “Ryland says she’s in the compound.”

  I got up to my knees and brushed off the dirt. My shoulder was aching, the dull pain left over. Diane said it would take some time to heal up and it might not ever function as well as it used to. It had already been close to a week. Ahead of us was the main compound, a two-story building, off to the right of that were the small cabins we’d stayed in. A truck and an old green army Jeep were parked haphazardly out front.

  “How are we going to do this, Nick?”

  “I’ll go speak with Daniels, we’ll figure it out.”

  He got up and hurried back to the safety of the truck. I remained there on the ground for a few more seconds before retreating. It reminded me of our time on the causeway, except now we were dealing with the living, folks who were more than capable of killing us from a distance. Jamal, Ryland, Eli and Alexa remained vigilant, rifles on the ready, while Diane sat with Tobias trying to console him. Daniels walked a short distance away with Lola and was in the middle of speaking with her when Nick headed his way. I caught up with them, catching them in mid-conversation.

  “We’re not leaving without her,” Lola said.

  Daniels replied, “Look, I know you want to get her back but every second we stay here, we are losing light. We should have been on the road by now heading for Boston.”

  Lola looked at me and smiled, then her gaze bounced to her father. As Nick and Daniels discussed possible scenarios, I thought back to the hospital and the week we’d spent there. I had to wonder why a man like Daniels, who had been so dead set against having us tag along, was now eager to get to Boston. Sure, Diane had said it was a safe zone. Sure, his ex-wife was gone, and he had his kid to think about, but was that it? I didn’t think so. I’d noticed the way he had become all friendly with Diane and built a rapport. He would have said it was because they were both in the emergency services field but I wasn’t born yesterday.

  Nick placed a hand on Daniels’s shoulder. “Tell him. It might work.”

  “What will?” I asked.

  “We’ll tell him he’s a cop.”

  I scoffed. “Please, Sean isn’t going to give a crap about that. And now with Tom dead, he won’t buy it.”

  “He will if he thinks that not all of society has fallen, and that Tom is still alive.”

  I raised a hand to my forehead and pressed my fingertips into the skin.

  “Please tell me you are not going to try a Weekend at Bernie’s?”

  For those not in the know, it was an ’80s classic about two friends who try to pretend their murdered employer is still alive. It was a hoot.

  Nick furrowed his brow. “No, you idiot. He doesn’t even have to see Tom.”

  “And if he asks where he is?”

  “Trust me, he won’t. Look it from his perspective, Scotty. He’s probably embarrassed that any of this has happened. He didn’t expect Tom or me to be alive. Did you?”

  I shook my head.

  “Right. So we use that against them. It can’t be easy up there. They will soon run out of supplies. That’s the only way we are going to get him to trust us and get her back.”

  Silence stretched between us. “That’s not the only way,” Ryland said, walking over cradling his rifle. “We could pull out, take a boat around and hit them at night.”

  “And get all us killed?” Nick shot back. “Don’t be stupid.”

  “Give me the keys to the truck,” Daniels said. I tosse
d them to him.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Give it a shot.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Lola said following after him.

  “No. No you’re not. You’re staying here with the rest.”

  “I’ll go with you,” I said.

  “I’ll be fine,” he replied. “Besides, do we really want a reenactment of what happened back at the pub?”

  I pointed at him. “That’s not fair, Daniels, and you know it. If it weren’t for me going back, they would all be dead. Terry would be dead.”

  Terry never came with us. We’d returned him to his home that had been ransacked. Somehow and don’t ask me how, his son Felix had survived. Barricaded in but still alive. The look on his face spoke volumes when we dropped off Terry. We tried to encourage them to come with us. We told them that we were heading for a safe zone on the East Coast but they wouldn’t do it. “This is my home,” Terry said. “I was born here and I will die here.”

  It made sense. He was getting on in years and not everyone would want to leave their homes even if the government was offering safety. The truth was we didn’t even know if it was a safe zone. We were going on the words of a woman we barely knew.

  Daniels didn’t gesture for me to hop into the truck but he didn’t stop me either.

  “Nick, use the long rifles. If shit goes south, light ’em up.”

  He gave a nod.

  The truck rumbled to life, and we left the others behind. On the way up, Daniels fished into his jacket for a white handkerchief. Okay, it wasn’t exactly white but I could see where he was going with it. He put a hand out the window and waved it as we got closer. This time we parked farther back than we had before.

  “You want to introduce me?” Daniels asked.

  I gave a nod and twisted myself out of the window. I wasn’t going to step out. If things got hot, I’d slip back in and Daniels would floor it.

  “Sean!” I yelled. I knew where the three guys were positioned so I kept an eye on them as two of them ran and crouched behind a Jeep. I yelled out Sean’s name again, and he replied, though this time he did it from the roof of the compound.

  “Here.”

  “Listen up, what happened before was a mistake. We came to talk this out, let you know that it’s not as bad out there as you might think.”

  He was a fair distance away, but I heard his chuckle carry on the wind.

  “I saw it myself. Long Lake is overrun.”

  “Long Lake, yes. Tupper, no. The residents created a barricade on the causeway preventing the Zs from getting across, and military and police have contained the virus on the east side.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “I have an officer with me.”

  Daniels slipped out of the building while I continued to keep my eyes on the immediate threats. We had to deal with this fast as there was a good chance they would attack now that we’d lost their trust. I knew Nick, Jamal and Ryland would be backing us up with long-range rifles but that didn’t alleviate my fears. I could see three men, well, five if I included Sean and Rob on the roof, but there had been six that stepped out with Sean initially, which meant more were out there. Did they have their rifles trained on me?

  “My name’s Officer Daniels of the Hamilton County Police Department. Everything he is saying is true.”

  “Oh and you expect us to believe that after the stunt you guys pulled?”

  “Look, I’m going to show my shield, okay? I’ll toss it over.” Daniels fished into his jacket and pulled out what he’d usually show to anyone who wanted evidence of who he was. He tossed it as far as he could.

  “Back up!” Sean yelled.

  We slid back in and reversed back about thirty yards.

  We watched as Sean, gripping a rifle in a tight fist, gestured with a nod to those down below to go get the shield. One of them darted out running at a crouch. He scooped it up and backed away, then tossed it up onto the top of the compound. Sean stared at it and then motioned for us to come forward. Daniels stuck the stick in drive and we drew in closer but not all the way.

  “Show me your face.”

  Daniels slid out, still holding on to the door.

  Sean narrowed his eyes. “So what caused this?”

  “What?”

  Sean shook his head and looked at Rob who had a smirk on his face.

  “I said. What caused this? If you have this under control, and military is there, I’m sure they would know.”

  “No one knows for sure but they believe the USA was attacked by some kind of biochemical virus. Look, we have a working hospital, a safe zone where there is enough food and shelter for everyone here. Let’s lay aside our differences.”

  For a brief moment I thought we had him, then he asked what I knew he would. “I want to speak to Tom. Where is he?”

  “He’s busy right now.”

  Sean tossed the shield off the roof and shook his head. “Busy nursing his wounds?”

  Oh shit, he must have known. I could see this was beginning to slip away from us.

  I stepped out of the vehicle with my hands up and my rifle behind my back. I didn’t move around the door but I wanted to lower the tension that I could sense was building. Any second now and he would accuse us of lying.

  Two heads bobbed from behind the Jeep and they split, one of them moved behind the truck preparing to attack from a different angle. Out the corner of my eye I could see the third guy working his way into the tree line, thinking he was going to come around so he could take a shot from the side. It wasn’t happening.

  “That’s exactly what he means,” I replied. “Tom is in a bad state, Sean.”

  “And you just expect us to join you all and head back to Tupper? No consequences?”

  “I don’t expect anything.”

  “Good because we are done talking.”

  He reared up his rifle that he’d slung behind his back and squeezed off a quick burst. His men followed suit. I jumped in and I fully expected that we’d have to reverse back and tell the others it was a no-go. We didn’t, out the corner of my eye I saw the guy in the tree drop, and I watched as Tobias, Alexa and Ryland moved through the woodland at a fast pace. My eyes bounced to the west side where Nick, Jamal and Eli were making their way through the trees. They hadn’t hung back but had strategically placed themselves ready for a firefight.

  “Stop the vehicle!” I yelled pointing to Nick.

  Daniels’s hands tightened on the wheel and he slammed the brakes on.

  He looked over his shoulder to check where his daughter was. Lola was with Diane back at the second truck, watching the madness unravel.

  A second of silence, then it began. The rounds unleashed. A furious display of defiance. One of them was focusing his attention on the roof, laying down heavy fire while the others moved in on those ducked behind vehicles. The assault was sudden and violent.

  I figured my brother would have prevented them from rushing the place but no. I hopped out and tightened my hands on the rifle. I burst into a sprint as rounds whined overhead. The men were so distracted by the incoming attacks from the left and right flanks that I was able to zigzag my way over to one of the cabins. I dropped to a knee, brought the scope to my eye and focused in on three more emerging from the compound. I squeezed off two rounds, puncturing the lead guy and sending him back into the guy behind him. I shuffled behind the cabin and kept going until I was in a new position. I wanted to keep them guessing where the fire was coming from. That wasn’t hard being as all around us gunfire was erupting. I pressed forward and ducked behind a partially crumbling wall. I gave it a second or two before peering over into the chaos. Sensing the coast was clear, I rose and jogged over to the next cabin so I could attack from a new angle. Jamal, Tobias and Ryland would keep the two behind the Jeep busy while my brother and his group handled their end. One, two, three, I mouthed the words before swinging around the corner of the cabin and squeezing off two more rounds from the AR-15. I didn’t want those two m
en breaching the door. Fortunately I didn’t have to worry about that as they had retreated inside.

  Bull’s-Eye

  The attack was brutal. No mercy was shown as we moved in like a tidal wave over the camp. Sean and Rob vanished out of view, no doubt seeking cover inside, however, they’d made a huge error, well, two of their guys had. In their rush to protect themselves they’d left their buddy’s body holding the door open. One minute we were all shooting from the confines of the tree line, the next, preparing to enter the compound.

  “Scotty,” Nick yelled into the two-way radio.

  I dropped to a knee and reached for mine. It crackled softly. I pressed the button.

  “Go ahead.” I continued eyeing the door and contemplating heading in. After having been in and out of that compound numerous times I knew the layout well. It wasn’t trying to find my way around once I was inside that bothered me; it was entering the bottleneck. For all I knew the two could have barricaded themselves behind steel and were just waiting for someone to step into the doorway. Alternatively, they could be running scared and hoping to find another way out. There was a fifty-fifty chance of being shot or surviving. I didn’t like my odds.

  Fortunately, Nick intervened before I stepped forward. “Don’t go in.”

  “Why not?”

  “He’s outnumbered. He’ll give up. No point losing your life over it.”

  Nick shuffled up the side of the building to the doorway and yelled out, “Sean! It’s over. Come on out.”

  A flurry of rounds echoed.

  We gathered together outside. Jamal and Ryland kept their eyes on the roof, just in case they attempted to sneak over the edge and double-time it through the woods to the lake.

  “What are they doing?” Eli asked. Nick told him and Alexa to head around.

  “Take Tobias with you.” He turned his attention to trying to communicate with Sean. He edged closer to the doorway. “Sean!” Nick yelled again. He wasn’t going to give up until he saw him. I didn’t want to be in Sean’s shoes. Not only was Nick pissed but Tobias was just looking for a reason to kill. If I’d been him I wouldn’t have wanted to come out and face the music but what was the alternative? Staying in there until he ran out of food? We knew that they were low on supplies because that’s why Tom ventured out in the first place. Whatever advantage they had was gone now.