Cyber Apocalypse (Book 2): As Our World Falls Page 13

  Alex looked at him. “I think it’s obvious.”

  “Is it?”

  “You control them or someone you know controls them.”

  He smiled with quiet confidence. “Are you a God-fearing man, Alex?” He didn’t give him the chance to reply. “There is an account in the Old Testament where God sends an angel of death to kill the firstborn sons of Egypt. God tells Moses to sacrifice a lamb and smear the blood on the doors of the homes of the Jewish people. On those that had it, the angel would pass over the houses and leave them alive.”

  Alex laughed as he shifted from one foot to the next. “You expect me to believe you or God is preventing those drones from touching people?”

  “Believe what you will.”

  “So you control these drones?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Then who are you working for? Huh?”

  “They asked the same thing the last time I was here.”

  Alex’s brow wrinkled, his mind made the connection, then he laughed. “Oh man, there is always one.”

  “I am here to do my father’s work, Alex, nothing more.”

  “I’m sure you are. And this father of yours. Who is he? Iran? Russia? What are you, part of a terrorist cell?”

  “Far from it.”

  “Then what are you talking about, man, as you really are making no sense.”

  “I’m here to protect and lead.”

  Alex groaned and slapped him on the back before heading back to the cart. “Well, Abner, best of luck with that, pal.”

  As he walked back, Abner spoke again,

  “What happened to Michael was not your fault, Alex.”

  He stopped walking and cast a glance over his shoulder. “What did you say?”

  Abner turned toward him. “You blame yourself. You blame Sophie but neither of you are to blame. Death is a natural part of life.”

  Alex raised a finger. “You don’t know the first thing about me or Sophie — and you sure as hell don’t know Michael.”

  “I know you’re in pain.”

  Alex scoffed and shook his head walking back toward him. He jabbed his finger in his face. “I don’t know what crap you are telling these people, or what you’ve made Sophie believe, or even what she told you, but it doesn’t matter. We are leaving this morning and whatever you’re doing here, whoever you are working for, I don’t give a crap. All I care about is my daughter and getting back to her.”

  With that said he got back into the cart. Abner stood there looking at him, seemingly unaffected. No reaction either way. He got back in and told his guy to take them back to the ranch.

  After finishing breakfast, Alex retreated to his room to collect his belongings and get the others ready to leave. On his way up, he passed Ryan who was wearing a black hoodie and looked bleary-eyed. He was holding the hand of some blond girl, looking as if he was on a country walk.

  “We’re leaving in twenty. Get your shit together.”

  Ryan balked. “What?”

  Alex didn’t stop to explain. He pressed on down the hallway and banged on Thomas’ door until he answered. He too looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. His hair was a mess, and he was squinting at him. “Hey, wassup?”

  Alex heard some girl in the background ask Thomas who it was. What the hell was going on? “We’re leaving. If you’re coming, get your bag.”

  “But I haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

  Alex charged off leaving him with his mouth agape.

  Back in his room, Sophie was sitting on the bed, leaning forward and tying the shoelaces on her boots. “Oh hey.”

  “At least one of you looks ready to go.”

  “Go? What?”

  Alex grabbed up his bag. “Yeah. Leave. Head out. Back to California. Elisha. Or have you forgotten?” He headed into the bathroom and snagged up a towel and his toothbrush.

  She took a few steps toward him. “Alex. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

  “No need. Abner already filled me in. Doesn’t matter. We’re going.”

  He ignored her as he gathered together what few things they’d taken out of his backpack.

  “What if I don’t want to?”

  He whirled around. “What?”

  “I mean. Of course, we’ll leave but… not immediately.”

  Alex dropped his bag on a chair, a scowl forming. “This is about last night, isn’t it? What did he put in your head?”

  “Alex, look, we don’t know if Elisha is alive. Look around you. The world is in ruins. The odds are slim and look how long it’s taken for us to get halfway across America and that’s with a vehicle. It could take us weeks if we don’t find transportation and Abner isn’t exactly handing out rides to anyone who asks.”

  He shifted his weight from one foot to the next. “So that’s it?”

  She stepped toward him and placed a hand on his arm. “Even if she did survive, she’s probably not in Petaluma. Then what? We’re stuck in a ruined city. No food. No shelter. No one to rely on. But here...”

  He took a step back. “Huh! I can’t believe this. So all that talk before about getting back to Elisha. What was that about?” Sophie lowered her eyes. “What’s the deal with this guy? Huh? What kind of control does he have?”

  She dipped her head. “It’s not like that.”

  “No? Because it sure as hell looks like it.” He crossed the room. “People following him like he’s some guru, listening to him talk until the early hours of the morning. What’s all that about?”

  “Hard to explain, you need to listen.”

  “I’m done listening. Meadow visited me last night. You know what she told me?”

  Sophie frowned.

  “She said she came here a week ago with her uncle and brother. Within a couple of days she was told they left without her. And you know what else. Apparently he takes women out to that barn and they go missing,” he said crossing the room and pointing outside. “I asked him today, what that place was. He said it was for the horses. Now you tell me. Why would Meadow make this up?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe she’s a troubled girl.”

  “What did he talk about last night, Sophie?”

  She shrugged as if it was nothing. “Life, the universe, our place in it. This whole event. Peace. Safety. He reassured us that as long as we stayed here we would be protected from whatever came our way.”

  Alex laughed. “And you believe him?”

  “Alex, since we left Elizabeth City have you seen any other place like this? His people can go into the city and those drones don’t touch them.”

  “Maybe you should ask why because I did today and you know what he said? Some mumbo jumbo about how his people wouldn’t get touched and that he was here doing his father’s work. This guy thinks he’s some kind of Christ figure.”

  “How do you explain those drones not touching them?”

  “Are you seriously asking me that?”

  “Answer the question.”

  “Oh my God. I thought you were smarter than this, Sophie.”

  “Don’t talk down to me.”

  “Think about it. They don’t touch his people. Do you think he has some mind control technique? That the big guy upstairs, his father, is preventing them from touching these people? Oh that’s quite something, except it’s all bullshit. Either this guy is controlling them or someone he knows is, and he has some deal in place. Either way, he’s dangerous and the longer we stick around, the higher the odds are of us not getting out.”

  “His people say that…”

  “His people?” Alex shot back.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Sophie. I can’t believe you are so gullible.”

  “What?”

  “Of course. One night. That’s all it took. But you know what, I kind of figured this would happen. You did the same with Michael. Just brushed it all under the carpet and moved on to Ryan, as if he could replace our son.”

  “How dare you.”

  He t
ook a step forward and jabbed his finger at the ground. “How dare I? How dare you!” Alex pointed west. “We have a daughter out there. I don’t know if she’s alive or dead but I am not leaving her there. I’m going to find out what happened to her.”

  Sophie was quick to retort. “Because that’s what you do, right? Save people. You’ve got to be pulling people out. Saving the day. But where has it gotten you, Alex? You pulled Michael out of the water and are you any better for it?” She got closer to him. “Abner was right. You. Me. We are both still in pain. Covering it up with excuses. We need to deal with this. I need to deal with this before I go out and…” She looked away. “A few more days. That’s all I’m asking. A moment to breathe. I just want to breathe. We haven’t stopped to get our bearings since this happened. I don’t care what you say. These are good people. He’s helping them and…”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Did you stop to ask him why his people don’t get touched by drones when they go into the city? Do all of them go or just teenage girls!?”

  “I’m not doing this. You’re escalating and…” she said walking toward the door. “I’m going to have breakfast. We’ll talk about this later.”

  “The only reason you agreed to come with me was because Ryan was there. You didn’t want to look bad. You never want to look bad.”

  “I’m not listening.”

  “That’s right, go on. Walk. You’ve always done that. You don’t want to face it. That’s why you don’t want to go back. You don’t want to have to face the possibility that we’ve lost our daughter and son.”

  She turned back to him in an instant, all red-faced. “If that was so, I wouldn’t have come,” she spat.

  “No, you questioned me as I was getting ready to leave. Three thousand miles, you said. You had doubts and don’t deny it!”

  “And so do you!” she shot back.

  “Yeah, I do, but at least I haven’t given up.”

  “Maybe that’s your problem, Alex. You want to stay in that moment, in the past. Well, I have news. Michael is gone! He’s gone! We’re never getting him back, and it doesn’t matter how many times you go into that ocean and save people, you will never bring back Michael!”

  He shook his head, looking at her, and then in a steady voice replied. “No. No, I won’t, but at least I never tried to replace him.”

  Sophie lashed out and slapped him around the face.

  “You bastard.” She went to slap him again but he caught her wrist, so she tried to slap with the other. He held both until the fight went out of her. “Let me go!” She wriggled out of his grip and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

  18

  Elisha peered through the scope on the AR-15 and breathed out as she squeezed the trigger. A brown bottle resting on a line of rocks exploded. “That’s it,” Garcia said enthusiastically, standing just off to the side. “Remember, keep a good shoulder-width stance, and lean forward, and keep those knees bent.” That morning before the rest had risen, Garcia had offered to show her how to use a weapon. He’d already shown her the right way to fire a handgun and had moved on to a rifle. Over several hours, he had her shooting from standing, kneeling and cover. At first the eruption of the gun scared the hell out of her but the more she stayed with it, the more comfortable it became.

  “I think you’re getting the hang of it. Just remember, if you are ever in an exchange, control your breathing. Don’t panic. The number of accidents that happen from people panicking is high.”

  She nodded, lowered the weapon and handed it off to him.

  “When was the last time you dated a woman besides my mother?”

  “A long time ago,” he replied. He slung the rifle over his shoulder and they made their way up from the lake.

  “What is it about her you like?”

  He smiled; his head lowered. “She’s got a good sense of humor.”

  “She has one?” Elisha shot back.

  He looked at her and he laughed. “I can see you take after your mother.”

  “But you must have connected over something.”

  “My mother was a nurse,” he replied.

  “Ah, well, that makes sense.”

  She breathed in the warm morning air as birds broke away from the trees.

  “So, what was it like growing up in the gangs?”

  “Strangely normal. I know that sounds odd but I didn’t know any different. My father was gone a lot. Was often out selling drugs. He ended up doing time inside.”

  “So your mother wanted something better for you?”

  “They always do. Sophie’s the same.”

  Elisha nodded, lips pursed. “Did my mother tell you she was planning on fostering a kid?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Or that we lost my brother in an accident?”

  “She told me everything.”

  “So you know about my father.”

  “A little. She made him sound like he was a good man.”

  Elisha squinted into the sun. “Was? He is. A little preoccupied with his work but after going through Coast Guard training, I can see why now.”

  Liam emerged from the cabin, a gray cotton blanket wrapped around him.

  “Hey. How did it go last night?” Garcia asked, slinging off his back some fish on a line. They’d caught some overnight using automatic fishing reels called YOYOs. It used a spring-loaded reel with some line and a hook attached. Garcia had set them up the night before down by the dock. While they slept, the reels had caught four, allowing them to be more productive throughout the day.

  Liam took a seat on the steps and cocked his head from side to side.

  “You were right about everything.”

  Garcia placed a foot on the first step and nodded. “I’m sorry, Liam. I know he’s your friend.”

  “Not much of a friend.”

  “What did he say?” Elisha asked.

  Liam brought them up to speed on the conversation they’d had. Upon finishing, his shoulders sank.

  “You think he will tell him?” Elisha asked.

  “Would you?” Liam replied. “I’m heading into town this morning to find out.”

  “Be careful,” Garcia said. “When people are pushed into a corner they often react and I’ve seen friends turn on friends and that was before this.”

  Liam noticed the fish. “Damn. That makes life easy.”

  “Sure does.” Garcia lifted the fish in front of him so he could see. “Well, let me get these on and see if that lazy ass is awake.” He went over to a propane BBQ and fired it up and then set the fish on the side.

  Elisha took a seat beside Liam on the steps and they looked down toward the lake. “You want to take a walk?”

  “Sure.”

  They got up and strolled off.

  “Don’t be long,” Garcia yelled coming out with some herbs and spices. “Breakfast will be ready soon.” Despite the power grid going down and the ongoing challenges that the nation now presented, it felt good to know she was with a group that knew how to survive. As they walked in the silence of the morning, birds chirped around them.

  “Have you thought of speaking with Harry?” she asked.

  “It’s not my place. Can you imagine me telling him that his grandson was behind his wife’s death, the attack on the department and the men who shot him in the shoulder?” He snorted. “Yeah, that would go over well. No, out of courtesy to him as my friend, I gave him twenty-four hours to tell him. If he hasn’t by then, I will.”

  “What do you think he’ll do… Harry, I mean?”

  Liam blew out his cheeks and wrapped the blanket tightly around him. “No idea. The man is a wild card. But I wouldn’t want to be there when he tells him.” He shook his head. “You know, growing up with someone, you think you know them but then you wonder if you really ever did.”

  They reached the shore full of sand, dirt and small rocks. Elisha reached down and picked out a few smooth ones and tossed them acros
s the surface of the water. Each one skipped a few times before disappearing into the deep. “You think it’s safe here?” she asked.

  “It’s not safe anywhere.”

  “But here?”

  “Moderately. Anything can happen though. Why?”

  “I’ve been thinking about Carlos. What happened in the cellar. Garcia said that he’d told him he had connections to some group, the 18th Street, a huge gang out of L.A.”

  “L.A. is a long way away.”

  “But it’s possible they could head this way. I think that’s why Garcia was showing me how to shoot this morning.”

  He smiled. “Oh really?” He looked out across the lake and shouted. “Sorry!”

  “For what?”

  “The fishermen you shot.”

  She patted him on the arm, chuckled and directed his attention to what remained of the bottles that she used for target practice.

  Leo was in uncharted territory. He always knew it would come down to this — pitted against his kind. In the early hours of the morning before the sun spread its light over Petaluma, he and Ken had ducked out of the house on Valley Oak Court and had managed to make it halfway across the city. They arrived at an abandoned home and found a set of keys to a vehicle in a two-car garage.

  Ken told him that he knew the owners. They were close friends of his. A week before the bombings they had gone on an Alaskan cruise and weren’t expected back for two weeks.

  As Leo gathered together food, clothes, candles, matches, and a flashlight, Ken rambled on about his future or lack thereof.

  “I was supposed to retire wealthy. I had this big dream in my head. You know, the big house, all the toys, multiple vacations a year. And then all this happened.” He sat at the foot of the stairs, shaking his head. “I’ve made a lot of wrong choices but you understand that right?” he asked looking to Leo for sympathy.

  “Yeah. Bad choices. Whatever. Give me a hand trying to find the keys to this. We might need it.” He’d come across a gun cabinet in the closet on the main landing.

  “He keeps the key upstairs in a drawer beside his bed,” Ken said raising his eyes. Leo furrowed his brow. “What?” Ken asked. “They invited my wife and me over for dinner several nights a month. He showed it to me. We’re good friends. Oh, and while you’re up there you might as well grab his bag of weed. I could use a smoke.”