The area around the well is clear of tools. I sigh and look around the edge of the woods, but I don’t see anything there. I try to think of where someone might have used a shovel recently and remember that Marco and Sam had been digging a trash pit back in the clearing where Falk had been teaching me to shoot. The group didn’t like the idea of burning trash in the same fire pit where we cooked.
I head off into the woods, my mind wandering back to the lights in the sky last night. I glance upward, wondering if they are still there but not visible in the sunlight. I try to picture what they might look like, but all that comes to mind are the pictures I’ve seen all over the internet of grey-green creatures with large, oval eyes.
Maybe there is some truth to all those stories about Roswell and Area 51 or whatever it is called. Maybe some of those pictures were real, and we did capture some kind of alien spacecraft all those years ago. Could it just have taken this long for them to come back for revenge?
With my head full of aliens, I startle when I see motion between the trees in the distance.
I tense, wishing I had listened to Falk and brought a gun with me. My heart starts to race as I crouch to get a better look. I see a shape moving through the trees again and duck down into the underbrush behind a fallen tree trunk. I bite my lip and stare over the log and through the leaves, waiting to see if the invaders are actually green.
The shape moves again, and I hear voices.
“We just need to wait a little longer.”
“How long?”
My held breath escapes my lungs. It’s only Caesar and Brett. I press my palm against my heart, willing it to slow down. I’m about to stand and hope I don’t appear a complete fool for being so scared, but I halt my actions when I hear the next sentence.
“We gotta take care of Falk before we can move on Hannah.”
What did he just say?
I lower myself completely to the ground and continue to listen.
“We should be able to catch him off guard easily enough,” Brett says. “He doesn’t suspect anything.”
“Don’t underestimate him,” Caesar replies. “That guy knows his job. It might be two on one at the moment, but I wouldn’t bet against him unless I knew the odds were well stacked in our favor.”
“The problem is, we don’t have any support here.” Brett stops walking and turns to Caesar. “Once he’s out of the way, it will be easier. The others will fall in line.”
“This isn’t about whether or not we have support,” Caesar says. He places his hands on his hips and looks down at the younger man. “This is about the future. Think about it, Brett. Yeah, the world has changed, and we’re still struggling to figure it all out right now, but that won’t last forever. We already know of one other group of survivors, and they don’t have any women. At some point, we’re going to have to start trading for what we need.”
“And we have one thing that everyone is going to need.”
“Well, two, really, but yeah. Fresh water hasn’t been an issue yet, but it’s going to be—food as well. Just our small group has managed to use up what’s around here pretty quickly. When we come across other groups, we’ll be fighting for necessities.”
“But we have a major bargaining chip.”
“Very major.”
“It’s not just about that, though.”
“No, it isn’t. This is also about retribution. She took from us, and Ty always said she was going to pay for it. I find it wonderfully ironic that she’s going to be the first in a new industry.”
Ty.
Ty as in Tyler.
Tyler Hudson.
My body goes numb.
“You don’t have to tell me. I’ve been fighting hard to be nice to that bitch, and I still have the scar she left me with. I can’t wait to get her under me without any chance of escape. I am going to fuck that bitch raw.”
Caesar laughs quietly and reaches out to clasp Brett on the shoulder.
“You and me, both. That’s the best part of all of this—we get unlimited access. Eventually, she’s going to be our ticket to anything we want.”
“So what now? We’re back to plan A?”
“Plan A was to grab her at the airport,” he says. “I don’t think we had a post-apocalypse plan, but frankly, it makes the whole thing easier. We just need to get rid of Falk. Then we grab her and start collecting bids.”
Oh shit.
Chapter 12
I place my hand over my mouth to hold in the scream that wants to come out.
Slowly, I sink down to the ground and into a deep shadow. I close my eyes, praying that they won’t turn this way and see me. If they see me, they’ll know I’ve overheard them. If they know, they’re going to kill me on the spot.
No. No, they aren’t going to kill me. What they will do is much worse.
“At least we now know for sure that a murder doesn’t attract a lot of attention.” I hold my breath and keep my eyes closed as I listen to their footsteps come closer and then pass me by. I open my eyes just a little to watch them continue off toward the common area, still talking.
“I’m still floored by that,” Caesar says. “Once Beck was in the ground, no one said another fucking word about it. Even when I kept pressing the issue, no one seemed to care.”
Did Caesar kill Beck? No…that’s not possible. Beck was his friend. Beck was probably on his side. He wouldn’t have killed Beck.
I hear their soft laughter as they move out of sight, but I can’t move from where I’m sitting. All I can do is think about Brett’s hand on my thigh and remember how it had immediately brought back thoughts of being in the van. It had felt familiar, but I dismissed it as my own paranoia.
But it wasn’t. It was familiar because his hand had been on me before—holding me down, spreading my legs. The scar on his face is from where I hit him. He was the one on top of me—he was the one inside of me—when I fought my way free.
I turn my head quickly and throw up on the ground.
My stomach continues to retch for a full minute before I force myself to my knees and then to my feet. I can’t stay here. I have to get back to Falk—back to safety. I stumble, wrap my arm around my middle, and look toward the apartment. I don’t see any sign of Brett or Caesar.
I have to get there—get there and lock the door. I have to get one of Falk’s guns and make sure it’s loaded. If they come for me, I’m going to have to kill them.
I run across the common area and up the stairs, throwing the door open and then slamming it again behind me. I push my body up against the door, turning the deadbolt with a loud click, and then slide down to the floor, still holding my stomach and trying not to throw up again.
Falk rushes out of the bathroom at the sound.
“Hannah? Hannah, what’s wrong? What happened?” He crouches beside me, reaching out to lay his hand on my shoulder.
“I…I heard them…them talking…about…about….” I can’t catch my breath.
“Slow down,” Falk says, gripping my shoulder and turning me toward him. “What were they saying?”
“They know who I am, Falk!” I cry. “They were talking about me. They’re with Hudson!”
He grabs my face in both of his hands and peers down at me.
“Who?” he demands. “Who knows?”
“Caesar and Brett.”
“Tell me exactly what you heard.”
“They were talking about getting rid of you and…and using me to barter with. Caesar said there was another group of people he already knows about.”
“He never was shot at,” Falk mumbles. “I thought there was something fishy about that story. What makes you say they’re with Hudson?”
“They said they wanted revenge,” I tell him. “Caesar said they were supposed to get me at the airport.”
“They’re the ones,” Falk said quietly. “They’re the ones in the reports I read.” He slams his fist against the floor. “Motherfuckers!”
“Falk, what are we going to
do? They’re planning to kill you!”
I watch his eyes as they dance back and forth between mine. He glances over his shoulder, down to the common area and then back at me.
“Pack,” he says.
“What?”
“Pack. Pack now. We’re leaving.”
Falk marches into the bedroom and starts opening footlockers. I follow, and he hands me a huge backpack from the closet.
“Fit everything you need in here,” he says.
I nod dumbly and grab a pile of my clothes out of the dresser drawer.
“Where are we going to go?”
“Let me worry about that,” Falk says. “Just get what you need.”
“What about food and water?”
“Right here.” Falk pulls out several small packages of premade food. “I’ve got water purification supplies, too.”
“We’ll need flashlights.”
“I’ve already taken care of that.” Falk stands and heads to the kitchen to grab the spare batteries from the drawer. “There are a couple of things I need from the shed. You stay right here. Don’t fucking move, you hear me?”
“What if they come here?”
Falk halts for a moment before removing the gun at his hip. He checks the clip and the chamber, makes sure the safety is on, and places it in my hands.
“Shoot them.”
My stomach turns over.
Falk is suddenly on his knees in front of me, cupping my face with his hands again.
“Don’t hesitate, Hannah,” he says. “If one of them comes through that door, you shoot to kill. You can do it.”
I nod quickly.
“Promise me.”
“I promise.”
He stares into my eyes for a second before he presses his mouth against mine. The kiss is hard and brief.
“I’ll be right back.”
He’s out the door, and I am alone. The entire exchange between Caesar and Brett flows through my head over and over again, and I stare at the gun in my hands, trying to remember not to put my finger on the trigger. I jump at every sound I hear outside, and I’m afraid I’m going to blow up the couch.
Relax. Breathe.
They’ve been here all this time, knowing exactly who I am, and I had no idea who they were. They’ve been watching me. Brett had his hand on my leg—the thought makes my skin crawl—and at the time, I had been angry with Falk for overreacting.
Now I wish he had gone ahead and shot Brett. Caesar, too.
I swallow hard and pace back and forth. Where is Falk? Shouldn’t he be back by now?
I hear someone on the steps, and I look quickly to the door. There’s a slight scraping sound, and my heart lodges in my throat.
They’ve come for me.
I back up against the wall on the far side of the living room, gun held in both hands and pointed at the door. I promised Falk I would shoot to kill, but I can’t even imagine myself doing it. I’m not even sure I can hit the door from here.
Take the safety off!
A little squeaking sound escapes my throat as I turn the gun to the side and flip the safety off. My hands shake and the gun wobbles. How will I ever keep my aim straight? I try to breathe slowly, remembering that I should fire as soon as all the air is gone from my lungs.
Focus, Hannah!
I take a deep breath, look down the barrel of the gun, and point it at the door as it swings open.
It’s Falk.
“It’s just me!” He ducks quickly and holds out one hand. “It’s just me, Hannah! Don’t fucking shoot!”
I drop the gun, and cry out when it hits the floor. Falk is at my side, gathering me up in his arms and holding me to his chest.
“You’re all right,” he says. “It’s just me. You’re fine.”
After a minute he pulls away, holding me at arm’s length and looking me over.
“You all right?”
I nod quickly.
“Are we leaving now?” I ask.
“Yes, we are.”
“Where are we going?”
“Away from here.”
“But where?” I can’t hide the panic in my voice.
“I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know when I find it.”
Falk hauls one of the two backpacks over his shoulders and shoves an additional box of ammunition into his pocket along with a spare clip. He grabs a long rifle from the closet and straps that over his shoulder as well.
“What else should I bring?”
“Nothing,” Falk says. “We’ll find what we need somewhere else.”
He reaches out and grips my hand.
“Trust me, Hannah,” he says softly.
“I do.”
As we exit the apartment, I look off to the right side to see a few people in the common area. They don’t look our way as we head down the steps and then to the left, away from the group. Falk keeps looking behind us as he urges me forward, across the parking lot and around a broken gate. Just beyond is the main road.
“Just keep moving,” he urges. “Don’t look back.”
The farther we get from the group, the more I relax. Falk, however, does not.
“There’s another group out here somewhere,” he says when I ask. “I don’t know where they are or how much contact Caesar has had with them. If you heard him right, then he’s been talking about trading with them. More specifically, he’s talked about trading you. I’m not about to let my guard down now.”
We keep walking, sticking close to the rubble of former houses, stores, and office buildings. Falk keeps a steady pace, and we don’t stop for breaks unless we have to. We see and hear no one.
We end up finding a convenience store still standing, and take a look inside. Though the building is still in good shape, it’s obvious someone has already gone through and taken most anything of value. The inside is a complete wreck.
“Someone’s been here,” I say.
“This place has been empty for a while,” Falk says. “See all the dust on top of the footprints? No one’s been here in some time.”
“But someone was.”
“Yeah.”
“Not us.”
“Definitely not us,” Falk confirms. “We didn’t come anywhere near this far away. All of our supply runs have been toward the university and the other nearby shopping areas.”
Falk goes over each of the shelves, looking for something to salvage, but comes up with nothing. At least the water is still running in the bathroom, and I can fill my bottle.
“Let’s keep going.” Falk pushes the door open, checking to the left and right before going back outside.
I have no idea where we are when we stop in a neighborhood with one of the houses still standing. The outside of it is a wreck, but Falk thinks it’s structurally sound. We enter through the broken front door and find a master bedroom with a king-size bed.
“Get some sleep,” Falk says. “I want to put as much space between us and them before the end of the day tomorrow.”
My body is definitely tired, but my mind is still racing through the events of the day. As I slowly take off my clothes, I decide to go with the best distraction available and climb into the bed naked.
Falk stares at me for a long moment before doing the same.
I wrap my arms around him as soon as he’s beside me and plant kisses in the center of his chest. He coils his fingers around the hair at the back of my head and gently pulls me back until he can press his lips to mine.
He makes love to me slowly as we lie on our sides, my leg wrapped around his hip. Afterward, he holds me to his chest and runs his fingers through my hair.
“Falk?”
“Yeah?”
“What about Christine?”
“What about her?”
“They’re going to do the same thing to her.”
“Yeah, probably.”
“She’s my friend.” I feel pressure building behind my eyes, and my throat tightens up.
“I can’t think about anyone but
you, Hannah. If the opportunity to get Christine out of there comes up, I’d only attempt it if it didn’t jeopardize you.”
“It’s not right.” I blink back the tears.
“I know it isn’t,” Falk says, “but if there was ever a time to be selfish, this is it.”
I can’t agree with him. All I can think about now is Christine and how she’s the only woman in the group with people like Brett and Caesar there. She has no idea what kind of men they really are, and though I know Chuck would fight to the death for her, I don’t think he would win.
I hardly sleep at all. Instead, I lie in the oversized, comfortable bed, stare at the gun Falk’s left on the nightstand, and listen to his breathing as he holds me against his chest. Hours later, I watch the morning sun come up through the window.
Falk mumbles in his sleep and pulls me tighter against him. He’s got morning wood, and it’s pressing hard against my ass. I’m exhausted from my lack of sleep, but I press back against it anyway, and he mumbles again.
I press my lips together, trying to contain my smile, and push back again. Falk groans and he wraps his arms around my midsection. One hand comes up and cups my breast.
“God, woman,” he mumbles. “That’s a hell of a way to wake up.”
“Part of you was already awake,” I point out.
He finds my neck with his lips and nips at my skin as his fingers pull at my nipple. It’s my turn to groan as he grinds into my backside and covers my shoulder with kisses.
“I want you on your hands and knees.” His breath is hot in my ear.
I’m startled by his bluntness, but the words send tingles down my spine, and I move quickly to comply. Falk rises up and takes position behind me, pushing my knees apart with his hands.
He sighs softly as he enters me in one, swift motion. I feel his fingertips digging into my hips as he pulls me back against him. He’s so deep, moving slowly in and out of me. I lean down on my elbows and push against him.
“More,” I say with a grunt. “Please, Falk.”
“You don’t have to beg for that.”
His rhythm increases, and he leans over my back to reach around and cup one of my breasts while his other hand still grips my hip, providing him with leverage. I grunt with each deep thrust, closing my eyes and focusing on the feeling of him inside of me.