A Powerless World | Book 3 | Defend The Homestead Read online

“A what?”

  Seth didn’t want to get into a long-winded conversation with Carl. He was the kind of guy that was known to yak all day if given the chance. “Ah, it’s nothing.” Seth thanked him for the cigarette and turned to head back to the horses.

  “Is it true?” Ricky asked.

  Seth turned back. “Is what true?”

  “That you all attacked Miriam Riker?”

  The comment caught him off guard.

  “Who you been talking to?”

  “No one. Rumors get around.”

  “Yeah. Well, ignore them. They’re full of shit.”

  Ricky threw his hands up. “All right, man, I wasn’t meaning any offense.”

  “None taken,” he said, making his way back to his horse. As soon as they were mounted, they high-tailed it out of there, heading back home to report what he’d seen. While Seth couldn’t confirm if there had been an attack, one thing was sure, if the militia had made it up, it certainly would have bolstered their cause of disarming locals.

  Right now, Seth couldn’t see how it mattered. If they were heading back to the hills, whatever the militia had in mind, it was more than likely for the city of Eureka.

  “Are you sure you didn’t go to the wrong checkpoint?” his father asked after they returned with nothing to offer but a few words from a meth head’s brother. The rest of their family were busy preparing the farm for what could have been only concluded as an attack by the Rikers, but that wasn’t the talk on his father’s lips that evening.

  “I swear. They all looked calm. No sense of an impending attack.”

  “What game are they playing?” Hank put a hand on Seth’s shoulder. “Give me a hand out back. Derek, you too.”

  They followed him to a shed where he took out a couple of shovels. “What are those for?” Their father didn’t answer. Then they followed him over to the truck and he brought down the tailgate and pulled back the tarp to reveal two bodies in the back. They were militia soldiers.

  “What the hell?” Seth said.

  “Bury them.”

  Seth looked at Derek and then at his father.

  “Did I stutter?”

  “Dad. Was it you?”

  “Was it what?”

  “That attacked the checkpoint?”

  “Of course not.”

  “But he said that two of their guys were killed.”

  “Yes, they were. Just take your shovels, strip them, bury them and stop asking questions.” He turned to walk away and then looked back at them. “And Seth. Not a word about this goes beyond here, you understand?”

  He nodded. There was so much about his father that he didn’t understand. Decisions he made, who died, who lived. One moment he was getting in his face over slapping Miriam around, and the next burying two militia members. Derek gave him a hand as they removed the men out of their uniforms. Both had been shot in the back of the head.

  “I don’t think I will ever understand that man,” Seth said.

  “Ours is not to question why but to…”

  “Do or die,” Seth finished what Derek was about to say. His father often said it. “Maybe I’m getting a little tired of doing and nearly dying for someone who keeps his cards close to his chest and doesn’t bring us into his plan.” He looked up to the cabin and saw his father talking with their sisters, putting them to work, rolling out barbed wire around the fencing. After stripping the soldiers naked, they dragged their bodies deep into the woods. Seth jammed the shovel into the earth and left it there, taking a moment to have a cigarette.

  “C’mon, man, we should get them buried.”

  “I’ll bury them when I’m good and ready,” Seth said, trying to figure out what was happening. “You ever wonder why he would send us down to ask about an attack when we were in the meeting and heard it directly from the captain? Or why we are burying two militia members but keeping their uniforms?”

  “Dad works in mysterious ways, dude, I gave up asking questions a long time ago,” he said, jabbing the shovel into the earth and beginning the arduous task of digging down at least four feet. It wasn’t the first time they’d buried people out there. Before that, it had been folks his father had ripped off, or who had ripped them off. At least ten hippies that had come out to work on their farm were buried here. Seth never forgot them. How could he when he passed their missing flyers every day in town?

  “Anyway, have you given much thought to the whole Martha Riker thing?” Derek asked, leaning on his shovel and taking a break from digging. “The agreement. Do you think she meant it?”

  “Don’t for one minute think that the Rikers have good intentions. They don’t.”

  “Do you know Colby’s back?”

  “What?”

  “I saw him at the cemetery today.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Slipped my mind. I was picking up a propane canister from Darryl’s place. I saw Dan Wilder head into the cemetery with Johnson, they came out twenty minutes later. I’m asking myself what business would he have in a graveyard. Not long after, Colby rode out of there.”

  “Figures. Dan is playing both sides of the fence.”

  “That wasn’t the shocking part.” He stopped digging and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Riding on the back was someone who looked like Skye.”

  He laughed. “Yeah right, let me guess, she rose from the dead. Were you drinking?”

  “Yeah, just a few, but I swear she was the spitting image.”

  “You need to lay off the moonshine,” Seth said, jabbing him. He chuckled as they continued burying the soldiers.

  Chapter Six

  The disappearance of two of his men had called for extreme measures.

  Captain Evans couldn’t have the county thinking they couldn’t perform their job. Doubt was a vicious seed that could take root and spread like wildfire. The decision to come up with a cover story about an attack had required purposely injuring one of his men with a round to the shoulder and removing locals from their usual post.

  Tackett, a nutcase he’d known for over ten years, was more than willing to take one for the team. That kind of loyalty couldn’t be bought. It was ingrained in them. Years of combat experience, operating side by side. Brothers in arms, they knew what it took to get the mission done, and this was exactly that, nothing more than a mission.

  The best part was that idiot Sheriff Wilder had bought it.

  If he ever asked where his two guys were, he would tell him they’d ended up in the river. No bodies to show. If they turned up alive, it could be explained away as a miracle. Either way, they came out on top.

  The truth was he wasn’t sure what happened to Marvin and Lee. They were heading to a northern checkpoint when they failed to radio in. He figured they’d been taken out by disgruntled locals, more specifically one of the two feuding families. After hearing about their reputation, he now knew he’d have to deal with them soon rather than later, but for now, their time was divided between bringing in supplies from towns in Trinity County and patrolling the streets.

  But that was just the beginning.

  So far Dan had listened to him, allowing him to put a curfew into effect, allowing him to determine how much food was rationed out. And so far phase one was working. Win the hearts and minds of the people, then slowly tighten the noose, making everything appear as if they were working in their best interest while keeping Dan as the head of the spear. If any fingers were to be pointed, it would be at him. And sure enough, they’d seen it play out just as he expected.

  The next phase was to corral people into the main town of Eureka, that way he wouldn’t have to spread his men thin, and potentially incur another situation like Marvin and Lee.

  Finally, he would reduce the number of mouths and in turn reduce the number of threats. Fortunately, many had left two weeks ago, making their job a little easier, but with still so many mouths to feed, it would require specific actions, deadly actions that could leave no room for doubt. It wouldn’t just co
nvince Dan, but the people themselves. Fear was a great motivator and he had already started to convince people that folks were taking their own lives. It was to be expected. It was easier than putting a bullet in every head. This way he killed two birds with one stone. Murder-suicides.

  It was going to plan until that Riker showed up.

  Evans was in the office discussing with the sheriff which neighborhoods they would put everyone in when Deputy Johnson knocked on the door.

  “Come in, Johnson,” Wilder said.

  “Sorry to bother you, sir, but I think you should hear this.”

  He stepped out of the way and a strong-looking guy walked into the room, his hands caked in dry blood, wearing a black T-shirt, dark jeans, military-style ankle boots. His hair was buzzed all over, short, tidy, and he was sporting ink on his lower arms. “Jessie?”

  “Could we talk in private?” He looked at Benjamin.

  “Whatever you need to say, you can say in front of him. He’s helping us.”

  Jessie nodded. “I just got back from Trinity County.”

  “Trinity? Who permitted you to leave?” Evans asked, trying to remind him about the rules of leaving the county.

  Jessie smirked and shook his head, ignoring him. “My mother wanted us to get some dialysis supplies for the center.”

  “And?”

  “It’s a bloodbath out there. Raiders have been attacking towns throughout the county.”

  “We heard. Looting.”

  “No, this isn’t just looting. No one is left alive. We are talking about murdering men, women, children. In brutal fashion.” He reached around behind his back and took something out and tossed it on the table. He did it so fast neither of them could tell what it was until it landed.

  “It’s a scalp,” Jessie said.

  “What the fuck…” Dan said, taking a step back.

  “Whoever is raiding these towns is scalping them.” Jessie glanced at Benjamin with accusing eyes. “I spoke with a local. No one has seen them yet but they are stripping clean every home they go into. Supplies. Lots of supplies are gone.”

  Dan caught him staring at Evans. He felt under the microscope. He had to speak up and fast. “I didn’t want to mention this because I didn’t want to scare the community, but he’s right, we saw them.”

  “You saw them?” Dan asked.

  Evans nodded. “Yeah, a few nights back.”

  “What were you doing in Trinity County?” Jessie asked.

  “We weren’t,” he replied. “We were along the road up near the Six Rivers National Forest, near Orleans. We saw riders coming out of the woodland heading south.”

  “Did you try to stop them?”

  “We were busy collecting supplies. Couldn’t risk anyone else finding them.”

  “I bet,” Jessie said again in a manner he didn’t like. There was something about his accusing tone that was beginning to niggle him.

  Evans pointed at him. “You are from what family?”

  “Jessie’s a Riker,” Dan clarified.

  “A Riker.” He acted surprised. “I’ve heard a lot about your family.”

  “I expect you have.”

  “Hear you have a reputation for creating trouble.”

  “Only with those who deserve it,” he shot back. “Look, I just figured you’d want to know. And as for the Native tribes, before you make a fool of yourselves and cause even more division, ask my brother Colby. He knows them well. You’d have better luck speaking with him than going directly to any of the tribes.”

  He turned to leave.

  “Where are you going?” Dan asked.

  “To bury my brother.”

  “Jessie, hold up.” He placed a hand on his forearm. “Your brother?”

  “Lincoln.”

  “What happened?”

  “We were attacked. He didn’t make it.” His chin dropped and then he walked out. Dan looked back at the scalp.

  “So what do you make of this? You think these Native people were the same raiders who attacked from the south?”

  Evans took a deep breath, realizing he would have to spin this in a new direction. He was hoping he wouldn’t have to deal with this yet. That was the whole purpose of moving people into the town, to prevent people from leaving the county unless they were heading to a FEMA camp.

  “It could be.”

  “Feel free to speak,” Dan said.

  “I do think it’s one of the Native tribes.”

  Dan mused as he picked up the bloody scalp and tossed it into the trash, then took the garbage can and called out to his assistant. “Cathy. Hey. Can you dispose of this? Don’t look inside.” A moment later she took it from him, and Benjamin heard her gag as she walked away. Stepping back inside, he ran a hand over his stubbled jaw.

  “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Of course it does. This land belonged to them, didn’t it?”

  “Yeah, a long time ago.”

  “Well, maybe they’re thinking of taking it back.”

  He headed toward the door. “Where are you going?” Dan asked.

  “To make sure my men are brought up to speed. To be on the lookout. I think it’s best for now that we don’t go on any more supply runs and focus on the town here. This is why we need to bring everyone into Eureka. I’m going to need your help, Dan. Approaching some of these people is liable to cause a reaction. Specifically the Stricklands and the Rikers.”

  Dan rubbed his eyes. It was late. Too late to be approaching homes.

  “Tomorrow. We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” Dan said. “And thank you, captain.”

  “For what?”

  “For not abandoning this community, I know it’s given you more than one reason to.”

  Benjamin nodded and walked off, a smile forming. They were gullible, all of them except for maybe the Rikers and the Stricklands. He’d seen the way that Jessie looked at him. He couldn’t afford to have him spread lies. He had to act fast, and he had a good idea of what to do.

  Chloe Jameson carried Lincoln’s body as far as she could in her truck before the terrain got too rough and narrow for a vehicle like hers. Jessie had already made arrangements before he left Eureka to have her family stay in one of the homes. After recounting the whole story to Deputy Johnson, he said he would ensure they had a safe place to stay. They were slowly bringing in families who wanted to be in Eureka and setting them up in homes. After getting out of the truck and transferring Lincoln onto the trailer attached to the back of one of the ATVs, Chloe thanked him and asked if he wanted her to go with him and speak with his mother.

  “No. You shouldn’t come up.”

  “I appreciate you speaking on our behalf.”

  “It was the least I could do. Will you be okay finding your way back?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll get these ATVs back to you as soon as possible. And again, thank you.”

  They shook hands, and he watched her climb back into the truck with Matt and Tina. He waited until the red lights disappeared around the corner before he climbed onto the ATV behind his brother. Dylan and Zeke said nothing as they continued. Zeke was transporting Lincoln. Jessie felt a sick feeling in his stomach on the journey back to the hills. It felt surreal.

  The last time he’d brought someone back it had been Miriam and she was alive, bringing back another would send shock waves through the entire family. He wasn’t sure how his mother would deal with this or how it would affect his relationship with her.

  He didn’t care anymore.

  As they got closer to the homestead, Dylan who was driving the ATV shouted over his shoulder. “Let me tell her this time.”

  “It’s fine. I’ll tell her. You don’t have to do that.”

  “Yes, I do. Let me carry some of the weight.”

  It had always been upon him to step forward, to take responsibility as the oldest kid in their family. And even if Dylan would tell her, he knew she would blame him. You’re the oldest, you’re meant to set the example. You’re
the oldest, they look up to you. You’re the oldest, you’re to watch over your siblings. It didn’t matter that the attack had come out of nowhere or that he had killed the man who had taken Lincoln’s arm. In her eyes, the fault would rest squarely on him.

  Colby was staying with Hazel. Since returning he’d only been up to the house once and Jessie hadn’t heard the conversations between him and their mother. Hazel had offered him and Alicia a room and he’d taken it, mostly so he wouldn’t get caught up in the drama that came from being around their mother.

  Dylan killed the engine, and the lights of the ATV went dark.

  His mother was already on the porch, rocking back and forth, drinking a bourbon, waiting for news of what supplies they’d brought back so she could further her hidden agenda. “How did it go?” she asked, not seeing Lincoln curled up in a fetal position in the back of the trailer.

  Dylan got off the ATV and ambled over to the house while Jessie and Zeke waited, waited for that high-pitched shrill that could only come from a mother who had lost a son. When it came, she didn’t collapse in Dylan’s arms, she dropped the glass in her hand, it shattered on the porch step. She immediately made a beeline for the trailer, not even making eye contact with Jessie. Zeke lifted the blanket that covered him and then she let out an ungodly cry. Jessie squeezed his eyes tight, hearing her sob.

  It seemed to go on forever.

  Once all her tears had fallen, then came the questions. “How did this happen?”

  Dylan was quick to explain. He twisted the truth a little and said that Lincoln had gone into the building by himself and that they got there just in time for Jessie to take out the guy. He was trying to support him and it might have worked if he was better at lying. She could see right through it. “How about you tell me the truth?”

  Jessie spoke up and when he told her, she walked over to him and without missing a beat, slapped his face three times, as hard as she could. His cheek flared red and stung. “Get out of here. I don’t want to see your face. Go!”

  “Mom,” Dylan protested. She didn’t take her eyes off Jessie, only lifted a finger to Dylan to make it clear that he was to say no more.