** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
The next morning the group was hidden in a forested area a few miles outside of their town. They were studying the manned roadblock through binoculars. They each took a good look at the men and surrounding area and passed them on to the next. When Cooper looked closely at the men, he grunted.
“I know one of those guys! He’s a friend of my dad’s. Not a big shock that he’s working with the bad guys. His name’s Buddy and he’s a real loser. He’s been in jail for lots of petty crime, everything from breaking and entering to drugs.”
When everyone had taken a good look, they moved back deeper into the forest. They were lucky that two sides of the town faced a forest that went all the way to the mountains. There were a lot of campgrounds and a few lakes throughout the area. They were all familiar with the forest around their town and had spent many years having adventures in it. Their vehicles were parked well back at a little-used camping area that didn’t offer any camping services except a water hand pump. The hike to the town had taken under an hour as they had brought the bikes with them and only had to walk part of the way.
Once they were well back into the forest, they discussed their next move. Cooper was thinking hard on a decision and finally put it to the group.
“I think I should go talk to Buddy. He knows me and he’ll probably tell me what’s going on. The only problem is that they might think I would want to join them. If my old man has joined with them, it could be our way into town. The problem is I can’t be a part of what they’re doing so I would end up giving myself away. What do you guys think?”
Alex’s first thought was, “NO WAY.” She didn’t want Cooper going in there and getting himself killed when the gang figured out he wasn’t on their side. Before she could say anything, Quinn spoke up.
“Do you think you can get information out of him and he’ll let you leave? If you played it like you didn’t care about the town but you didn’t want to get involved in the gang? Would he let you turn around and go?”
Cooper thought about it hard. They needed information and he felt like he owed it to his new friends to help any way he could.
“I think he would. He was always trying to be my pal and telling me not to follow in his and my dad’s footsteps. I really think I could get the info and then leave. I’m willing to take the chance.”
Alex stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug. She closed her eyes and said into his ear “Thank you. Please come back.” She quickly released him and turned away.
He nodded to the others and handed Josh his automatic rifle. He kept his handgun in its holster and shouldered a backpack. They all walked back to where they had left the bikes and he climbed onto his.
“If I get pulled into the town, watch for me on the west side by the forest and I’ll try to make contact.” With that, he pedaled away.
Alex couldn’t bear to watch him leave so she headed back into the woods to where they could see the roadblock.
Cooper was beyond nervous. The last thing he wanted was to get sucked into his dad’s lifestyle but he felt he had to do this for his friends. He had been alone for so long with no friends. The past twenty-three days had been so amazing for him. The way they all worked together and watched each other’s backs had filled a part of him he hadn’t known was empty. And Alex, well, if he ever had a chance to be with her, he would have to prove to her and himself that he was worth spending time with.
As he got closer to the roadblock, he could see Buddy raise a hunting rifle up to his face. He should be able to see Cooper very well through its scope; at least he hoped he would. Cooper kept going, waiting for the sound of the shot that never came.
When he was close enough, he yelled out, “Hey, Buddy, is that you? It’s Cooper!”
Buddy motioned him to stop where he was and turned to talk to the other men. He came out from behind the cars and walked down the road to him. He had a surprised look on his face when he walked up.
“What the hell, Cooper! Aren’t you supposed to be in California? What are you doing here?” he asked with an uncomfortable look on his face.
Cooper grinned sheepishly. “Well, yeah, but I ditched the kiddy trip at the airport and was hanging with some friends in the city when the lights went out. We’ve been partying it up but things got a little hot for me there, so I bounced and headed home. What’s up with you? The cops got you working guard duty? No way, man!” he said with a laugh.
Buddy didn’t laugh but he looked over his shoulder back at the other men. He leaned close to Cooper and said quickly “All the cops are dead, man. A group of hardcore guys came in and took over. They’re using all the townspeople and farmers as slave labour. It’s a real bad scene. Listen, I got bad news for you, brother. Your dad is dead. He thought he should be the big man around here ‘cause he’s the one who told these guys about the town’s setup and the bossman shot him like a dog. You need to jet! There’s nothing here for you and you don’t want them to find out who your old man was. Go find somewhere else.”
“Ah, shit! He never could keep his mouth shut.” Cooper shook his head sadly. “But Buddy, how can a few guys hold all those people without them fighting back?”
Buddy checked over his shoulder again before answering him. “They got like sixty guys and they’re holding a lot of the women and all the kids in the community center. It’s real ugly, Cooper. Now get out of here before they come check you out.” He waved him back down the road.
“Yeah, I hear you. I’m out of here. Hey, Buddy, one more thing. Did any of those kids make it back from California?”
Buddy smirked, “No way they’d make it back here. All those kids are dead by now. Count yourself lucky you ditched. Take care, Cooper. Sorry about your dad.”
Cooper nodded and turned his bike around. He headed back down the road towards his friends. He thought about his dad being dead and thought he should feel something. He searched his heart and was saddened by finding only relief.
The group was waiting when he got back. They were all out of breath from running when they saw him heading back away from town.
Cooper told them everything he had learned and they all sat down to try and process the state of their home. Alex looked around at her friends. Dara was quietly crying and Josh was holding her hand and staring miserably at the ground. Quinn was looking off into the forest with an angry expression. Cooper was looking at Alex with a sympathetic frown. When she met his eyes he asked, “What do you want to do?”
Alex stood and looked at all her friends again. Then she picked up her rifle and spoke in a strong, clear voice.
“We fight!”
To be continued…End of Book One
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Also By - Theresa Shaver:
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